Because I am "blessed" with non-stop generations of baby rabbit eating machines, I experiment with different defense tactics. You could get some quarter inch gauge hardware wire and make a vertical tube surrounding the orchid. It has to be at least 3 ft tall, anchored (I do mine so that they just fit around the pot, but I don't see that working with an orchid) and not too wide. You could also make a cage with a bottom and top for full protection.
Gardener supply sells chicken wire cloches which work over big pots, but I don't think are tall enough for an oncidium. They rust, so I'm not a big fan. This year I'm trying from the same company these vinyl tubes with a mesh zip top and so far they are have been working well for things like peppers and plants that rabbits love. I'm waiting to see how they work with my Spanish Flag vines, which have been chewed through the last 4 years running in spite of hardware cloth tubes.
I think row cover fabric, firmly tucked under the pot, would also work. It's not attractive and you don't see your orchid. You could also try hanging the pot, but if it is rats, squirrels or raccoons that won't stop them.
My neighbor poisons chipmunks. I don't do poisons or traps. I've recently heard Axe (the teenage boy product) recommended as a stinky deterrent. I've done pepper and garlic sprays in the past with mixed results.
I feel your pain. I used to be able to grow all sorts of things from seed. Then the rabbits showed up, stripped the bark off my favorite young trees, mowed all my seedlings down, and are very efficient at keeping my perennials from being...perennial.
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Oncidium reichenheimii attacked
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